Grouping and Acceleration Practices in Gifted Education by Brody Linda E.;Reis Sally M.;

Author:Brody, Linda E.;Reis, Sally M.; [Brody, Linda E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1994278
Publisher: Corwin Press
Published: 2004-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

The findings revealed by the above review of studies evaluating acceleration and grouping and their rationale have not been ignored by educational and political groups who have a strong stake in educational reform. For example, the 1990 National Governor’s Report of the Task Force on Education, while challenging educators to eliminate widespread ability grouping and tracking, specifically states that “eliminating these practices does not require ending special opportunities for students such as the gifted and talented or special education students or Advanced Placement classes” (p. 3). Thus, the current and highly visible educational movement to reduce the practice of ability grouping should not be construed to mean that gifted students should not be grouped in various ways or that programming for gifted and talented learners is inappropriate.

Moreover, educators in responsible positions should not naively believe that anyone would benefit from dismantling grouping practices necessary to provide gifted and talented programs. Educational reform is not about allowing able learners to stagnate in age-grade lock-step classrooms. If schools were willing to adopt flexible models of grouping that allowed student needs rather than administrative fiat or the fashions of the time to dictate practice, the needs of all children might be better met. If schools were as willing to alter instruction based on need as they are willing to move children around administratively, the needs of all children might also be better met. The problem is not ability grouping but rather a lack of flexibility and imagination in the application of educational principles in practice.

Improving the quality of education for all requires that we be sensitive to the needs of all and plan educational experiences accordingly. Equality of opportunity and equality of treatment in education, however, are not the same, nor should they be. In any profession, the needs of the client dictate the nature of the prescription. High-quality services should be available to all, but the nature and organization of those services should vary based on diagnosed need, just as in the medical profession. Education can ill afford to level its services lest the bitter pill of mediocrity be absorbed into the bloodstream of all our students.

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